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A leader in grinding media , Molycop has continued to expand its portfolio and services over the last five or so years . IM put some questions to Molycop CEO , Jim Anderson , to find out how this expanding portfolio is serving its customers current and future needs
IM : Molycop has a legacy and history of innovation dating back to the early 20th century and the company ’ s use of EAF steelmaking for manufacturing products for the rail industry . How has the company been able to retain and build on these innovative roots while solving the issues the mining and metals industries face today ? JA : Innovation is in Molycop ’ s DNA . To this , retaining and building on our innovative roots is only made possible by investing in R & D and in our people – whether it be upskilling or attracting the industry ’ s brightest minds . Our partnerships with some of the world ’ s leading universities gives us a competitive edge in developing and retaining people , ensuring we equip them for the future .
Importantly , the way we collaborate with our customers and stakeholders also drives this progress . Our innovation strategies aim to provide fast , credible solutions to the social and fiscal challenges our customers face . We enable sustainable liberation of resources essential for a better tomorrow and to provide outcomes that differentiate Molycop and provide us with a competitive advantage . Together we ’ re able to solve the big challenges our industries face , setting new benchmarks , evolving to market trends , and ultimately delivering improved outcomes for our customers .
IM : When comparing Molycop to peers and competitors in the mining and metals space , what would you say are your unique selling points to customers ? JA : Our unique selling point is one that places us beyond direct comparison . We ’ re incredibly proud that Molycop ’ s strength is not one or two things in isolation , it is the sum of our parts .
By helping customers increase throughput and maximise recovery we ’ re powering significant sustainability outcomes with our portfolio of products and services across milling , flotation , leaching , process optimisation and training .
Additionally , our global strategy is executed with local nuance and expertise . We have major operations in Chile , Peru , Mexico , USA , Canada , Australia , Indonesia and Spain servicing over 400 mines across 40 countries annually . We leverage the full expertise of the Molycop
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network to provide the best solutions for our customers .
IM : Why did you see the need to establish a new business portfolio after the MTR , DCL and PIQ acquisitions ? Are these new digital capabilities enabling the company to expand its reach across the mineral processing space ? JA : The mining industry is continually evolving and faces many new challenges including declining head grades , skillset challenges and developing the communities in which they belong . Technology is an enabler that allows the industry to meet these challenges . Molycop has been the leader in our industry for over 100 years and it ’ s only a natural progression and is expected by the industry that Molycop takes a leadership position in working with our customers to solve these issues through the use of more advanced technology .
We continually feel the need to evolve and be at the forefront of the industries in which we operate . To best drive our future strategy , we have established a new business portfolio under the strength and reputation of the Molycop brand to emphasise our commitment to sustainability and innovation with the extensive range of products and services that now form part of Molycop .
For example , given the world ’ s forecast global demand for copper , we believe that bringing together our collective experience and expertise we can deliver improved outcomes now while new capacity comes online over the coming years .
We pride ourselves on the holistic portfolio we offer our customers , all under the one strong Molycop identity ; Milling , Flotation , Leaching , Engineered , Process Optimisation , Resource Recovery and Training . These new capabilities truly build on Molycop ’ s rich history , paving the way for a future that ’ s better when we create it together . IM : As well as using the data that these new digital products are generating to improve existing milling operations , are you also leveraging these insights to engineer new products ? JA : First and foremost , all data captured by our digital products for a particular customer is their proprietary information and doesn ’ t flow back into our R & D teams without their permission . The instrumentation , modelling and data analytics platforms we leverage to improve existing milling operations is tailored
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Molycop ’ s data visualisation tool , known as VIP Data Platform , is allowing operators to increase the throughput and recovery in the comminution process , as well as improve sustainability outcomes
for each of our customers .
While these digital products are performing well , Molycop ’ s innovation team has significant research projects underway with some of the world ’ s leading universities in materials science and comminution . These projects underpin our future product and service developments . One of those major initiatives is the development of the Molycop Digital Engine .
IM : How is AI and machine learning positively impacting the way you work and the way your mining clients work ? JA : Around the world we are seeing a positive impact on the way Molycop ’ s customers are benefitting from AI and machine learning – including real-time predictions and the optimisation of mineral processing operations .
We ’ re now moving beyond the accuracy and flexibility limitations of traditional mineral processing analytical techniques which were based on empirical models and rule-based systems to opportunities in new powerful tools for data analysis , prediction and optimisation .
Molycop has developed an advanced intelligent computational framework – Molycop Digital Engine – for predicting the behaviour and optimising the performance of comminution circuits . This is specifically tailored for optimising crusher to flotation circuits . The Digital Engine is integrated with Molycop ’ s mill monitoring system , including shell and mill sensor data with main operating variables .
By reducing SAG mill variability and controlling energy consumption , mining companies can reduce their carbon footprint , improve their bottom line and contribute to a more sustainable future . This is something we will highlight at the upcoming SAG 2023 conference in Vancouver *.
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44 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2023 |